Solar hot water system at Glenns Ferry Pool is one of state's largest

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

(Glenns Ferry, Idaho) One of the largest commercial solar pool heating systems in Idaho is now in daily use at the Glenns Ferry community pool. The roof-mounted solar collector system was installed in early August by Renewable Energy Resources, Inc., and is helping heat a significant portion of the pool as well as helping Eastern Elmore Recreation District lower their monthly natural gas bills in operation of the pool's existing and still functional, boiler heating system.

The 26 collector system includes solar collectors as large as 4'x12' flush mounted and covering nearly 1,200 square feet of the roof's surface area. The panels are held in fixed positions facing south at precise angles to maximize exposure to the sun. A small electrical pump will keep pool water moving through the large collector system. The cooler water input for the system starts at the far end of the roof and as the water travels through its maze of small black piping, it picks up tremendous heat that it eventually delivers directly back into the water flowing into the pool. A very simple technology using a very simple power source, the sun !

"This is a great example of how a business or local community facility can offset a portion of their power use by installing a renewable energy system," said Jeff Burns, Director of Renewable Energy Resources, Inc. "It is very exciting to see an entire rural community come together and so visibly support using a renewable source of heat for their community pool. If we can begin to multiply projects like this at a faster pace, we will be much closer to meeting the sustainable goals many people today are interested in".

Referred to as a Solar Pool Heating, Fixed Array system, the installation took just three weeks and is expected to provide up to 25 percent of the water heating energy consumed annually at the Glenns Ferry Pool. The benefit of purchasing less energy, combined with the ability to educate the public and especially the younger generations on using more sustainable methods for every day things like heating out pools.

Karen Hall, Pool Director said "we are so excited with our new solar pool heating system. We hope the system will allow us to stay open later in the fall and it will help reduce our overall annual heating costs. The whole system also looks great up on our pool building roof.

Renewable Energy Resources, Inc., is a Treasure Valley company with offices in Boise and Mountain Home, and offers a full compliment of renewable energy solutions, from solar PV and solar thermal, to wind power and geothermal heating and cooling systems. The company, which has solar PV installations across the Treasure Valley and as far north as Coeur d'Alene, is one of the few companies in Idaho with a specific focus on renewable energy systems.